Austin lost 31 workers in 2023. Most workplace deaths could be prevented. | Opinion

Texans often claim everything is bigger in our state, but the sizeable number of workplace fatalities here is nothing to be proud of.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports 5,486 people suffered fatal workplace injuries in the U.S. in 2022, the most recent year for which data are available. More than 578 of them were here in Texas, representing about 10 percent of all the work-related deaths in the nation.

In Austin, falls from heights remain the most significant cause of workplace fatalities. New multifamily construction worksites have seen a worrying trend. Workers fall from elevated positions, through holes and from ladders. In Austin, 31 workers died in fiscal year 2023. Out of those, 13 died from falls – 10 of those 13 were falls from elevated positions. The situation has not improved this fiscal year, with an uptick in falls from improper use of portable ladders.

When the nation first marked Workers Memorial Day in 1970, about 38 people died on the job each day. While significant progress has been made since OSHA was created in 1971, and less than half – 15 workers – die each day in the U.S. now, the fact remains that even one death is too many.   

Tragically, most or all these deaths could have been prevented. Employers who make safety and health a core workplace value and go beyond the minimum safety standards better protect their workers from hazards. When proper control measures are in place, safety and health is a priority and employers act on workers’ questions or concerns about workplace safety, employees are in fact safer, and they feel safer at work. Most importantly, fewer workers suffer fatal injuries. As we often say at the labor department, good jobs change lives. And good jobs are safe jobs.

We must remember workers are much more than numbers or statistics. Each is someone’s child, spouse, parent, sibling, friend or co-worker. Consider how a worker’s death affects those around them.  Consider your families’ simple joys and imagine the sense of loss these worker’s families feel. Having dinner with your loved ones, embracing your spouse and kids, spending time with family and friends, or the many other things that give our lives meaning. Thousands of families have lost these things due to preventable workplace deaths.

Workers Memorial Day allows us to remember our communities’ fallen workers and those across the nation. It is a time to reflect on the loss their families endure every single day. An opportunity to consider their deaths’ effects on our communities. And a call for us to recommit to demanding employers fulfill their moral and legal obligations to protect all workers.

Camacho is the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s director in Austin.